Bruce Wayne
Bruce Alan Wayne (Born February 19th, 1972) is a playboy-turned-vigilante in Gotham City known as the Batman. After his parents death on June 26th, 1980, Bruce trained his body and mind to fight the crime that took his parents from him. Debuting as Batman in 1997, Bruce took Gotham by storm and inspired others all across the country to rise up and fight against evil, teaching several to do the same. Bruce was one of the seven founders of the Justice League of America on New Years Eve of 2003 when he and six others fought against Brainiac's Invasion. Bruce remained a member of the JLA until its disbandment in late 2006 after the deat of his protege and adoptive son, Jason Todd. Bruce eventually rejoined the League in 2009 after its reformation under the United Nations, where he still remains a member today. Bruce is also a former member of the League of Assassins and ex-husband of Talia al Ghul, with whom he fathered a son. He has two other biological children (Terry and Helena) with ex-fiancé Julie McGinnis and Selina Wayne, his wife. He has four adoptive children (Dick, Jason, Tim and Cass). History Early Life: 1972 - 1986 The son of Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha, Bruce was born in 1972 as the sole heir to the Wayne Fortune. By all accounts, Bruce had a blessed childhood where his natural intelligence and athleticism were praised by his parents, though his mother also insisted he use his skills to better the world. Bruce developed a close relationship with the butler of the Wayne Estate, Alfred Pennyworth and his father’s best friend, Leslie Thompkins. When Bruce entered kindergarten in 1977, he met and befriended Tommy Elliot and the two continued to be the best friends for nearly a decade afterwards. Through Tommy, Bruce met Julie Madison, a witty and artistic girl who quickly became the apple of Bruce’s eye. Though many of the girls at his school developed crushes on him, he developed one on Julie. Bruce and his younger cousins, Kate, Bette and Ellie were not very close, though they still would play together and got along quite well. Among Bruce’s interests were a love for cinema, so much so Thomas and Martha would take him to the Monarch Theatre every Thursday night. On June 26th, 1980, Thomas, Martha and eight year old Bruce were walking back to their car after an evening showing. As they took a shortcut through an alleyway in Park Row, the family was held at gunpoint by a petty criminal, Joseph Chilton (aka: ‘Joe Chill’). When the clasp of Martha’s pearl necklace got stuck and Thomas abruptly moved to help his wife, the mugger got spooked and shot Thomas. When a scream followed, Joe fired a second shot, killing Martha instantly. Horrified but what he had done, Chill then fled, leaving the orphaned Bruce spattered in blood and standing among the scattered pearls. After the heinous act, Bruce was raised by Alfred (with occassional help from Leslie). At school, Bruce became isolated, only talking to Tommy and Julie. Bruce began to learn self-defense alongside Julie, and was also taught several moves by Alfred and began to learn some things about forensics and medicine from Julie. Consumed by justice, Bruce found little comfort when his parent’s killer was apprehended by Detective Jim Gordon in 1984. Bruce’s eyes had been opened to the level of crime in Gotham and was determined to do something about. He already been training his mind, body and various skills with several tutors, but Bruce would need to leave Gotham to do it. Bruce sadly ended his childhood romance with Julie and graduated high school early from Brentwood at fourteen. Bruce said goodbye to Alfred and visited his parents grave one last time, where he stumbled upon a young girl from school, Andrea Beaumont. After spending his last night talking with her, Bruce left Gotham in 1986 to study abroad.Oracle Files - Bruce Wayne 1/4 The Training: 1987 - 1993 After graduating high school early, Bruce began a global sojourn. He began taking classes at Cambridge, the Sorbonne and other European Universities where he expanded his knowledge in criminology and forensics. During this time, Bruce also moonlighted with less established mentors who would school Bruce in taverns, back-alleys and empty warehouses. However, Bruce never stayed long and often dropped out. Eventually, Bruce started learning his detective skills from Harvey Harris, the best detective in London in 1997. Bruce later traveled to France in 1988 to study forensics under Willie Doggett, where he met Giovanni Zatara, a sorcerer moonlighting as a magician. Bruce stayed with Zatara and his daughter Zatanna, who developed a crush on the man. Zatara helped Bruce learn to escape several traps and other tricks and illusions, such as using smoke to disappear. Zatanna gathered up the courage to ask Bruce on a date and the two had a brief romantic encounter on top of the Eiffel Tower. The two had to part ways the next day, forcing their romance to remain brief. Bruce confined to travel, training with Shihan Matsuda in the Himalayan Mountains. From Shihan Matsuda, Bruce wanted to learn to further his martial art skills but also to control his body with complete mastery and precision. Shihan would eventually send Bruce to Master Kirigi in Korea. Bruce would excel under Kirigi, would who eventually pass his name along to a man named Henri Ducard. In the summer of 1990, Bruce stumbled upon his childhood love, Julie Madison in Vltava during Julie’s art apprenticeship. The two reignited their romance and once again shared an intimate first before Julie returned to the United States. Bruce continued to train under other various mentors in South America and the Australian outback. In December of 1992, Bruce returned to the U.S. to put his affairs in order. He was reunited with Andrea Beaumont when the two hit it off at a high society Christmas party. The two entered a whirlwind romance and he considered giving up his crusade in favor of his life with Andrea. Unbeknownst to Bruce, Andrea’s father was a high ranking member of the mob. On the eve of Bruce’s proposal in April of 1993, Andrea was forced to flee the country due to her father's scheming of the mob. The heartbroken Bruce moved to Washington D.C. in June of 1993, to prepare for his admittance to the FBI Academy at Quantico where he lasted exactly four weeks before he realized the Justice he sought would not be gained through official channels. Bruce once again departed the U.S. after meeting a man named Henri Ducard. Khuffash: 1993 - 1997 After leaving the U.S. with Henri Ducard in September of 1993, Ducard offered Bruce a position within his secret organization, known as the League of Assassins. He offered Bruce a chance at the Justice he sought, convincing him to join the League. It didn't take Bruce long to deduce that ‘Henri Ducard’ was merely an operational alias used by the immortal ‘mastermind’ of the League, Ra’s al Ghul. Upon his recruitment into the League in December of 1993, Bruce caught the eye of Ra’s al Ghul’s eldest daughter Talia. Bruce began training alongside Oliver Queen, the eventually rising above the rest of the recruits at the time. While Bruce could never beat Oliver’s natural affinity for for archery, hunting and fencing, he was clearly the best of the recruits. The two eventually became close friends and often went on missions together. While Oliver mostly trained under Malcolm Merlyn, Bruce was primarily taught by David Cain {The Swiss}. Bruce eventually surpassed Cain’s teachings and began tutoring under Ra’s himself. It was during this time in mid-1994 that Bruce began a passionate love affair with Talia. In November, Bruce was officially inducted into the League as Khuffash (Translation: The Bat). In a short time, Bruce became an elite member of the Inner Circle. On March 18th, 1995, an arsonist fugitive John Malone was arrested after three years on the lam after an anonymous phone call tips the GCPD to his whereabouts. Malone was promptly sent back to Blackgate Prison. On the anniversary of the Wayne Murder, Joseph Chilton was found dead in his cell at Blackgate Prison, having seemingly hanged himself based off the testimony of an eyewitness, the inmate in the cell across from Chilton's, Inmate Malone. John Malone's sentence is vacated after the results from his appeals for retesting of his DNA and fingerprints come back proving him innocent of his original charges. After being immediately released, John Malone promptly leaves Gotham. Eventually, Ra’s discovered the affair between Talia and Bruce, and upon giving them his blessing, the two were married in a dual ceremony with Oliver and Nyssa in August of 1995. Talia and Bruce had a happy and passionate marriage as they fell deep in love, with Ra’s eventually naming Bruce his successor. But that all changed after the assassination attempt on Lucius Fox on March 15th, 1998. Fox described being cured of the poison administered via arrow by the blonde archer, but was saved by the other young male assassin. What eventually transpired next is unknown (as is whether Bruce killed anyone in the League, but it can be assumed), but Bruce fled the League and returned to Gotham four days later, leaving Talia behind, not knowing that the vengeful woman was carrying his child. Batman Begins: 1997 - 1999 Upon his return to Gotham in March 1997, Bruce quickly made himself available to the media, making it well known that he had returned to Gotham City and make it harder for the vengeful League to assassinate him in retaliation. Bruce reconnected with Alfred, Leslie and his uncle, Philip Kane, who had taken over the Wayne family company in his absence. Bruce quickly became the ‘billionaire playboy philanthropist’, spending his time surrounded by women, making club appearances and donating to various charities. Philip had one of his employees, Edward Nygma arrange a ‘welcome home’ party for Bruce where he hired the services of Silver St. Cloud. Nygma also hired the Red Hood Gang to bust up the party and kill Bruce. While unsuccessful in their mission to kill Bruce, they played a part in getting Bruce and Silver together after they both dived under the same table to avoid gunfire and she landed on top of him. Bruce Wayne then reclaimed his family company after the arrest of Edward Nygma and the stepping down of Bruce's uncle, Philip Kane. Bruce celebrated by taking Silver out to dinner. Still guilt ridden over Talia, it took a lot of persuasion and nagging from Alfred before the two started dating. At first he merely used their relationship to keep up appearances, but it quickly became more than that as he fell for her. Not long after the Red Hood attack, John "Matches" Malone returns to Gotham after having vanished for nearly three years. Using his disguise to infiltrate several gangs, he eventually realized he would need an ally in the mostly corrupt GCPD. Bruce turned to the only honest cop, the man who caught his parents killer, James Gordon. Gordon and the media began getting anonymous letters with tips about the operations of criminal enterprises signed by 'Insider'. But Bruce underestimated the influence that Carmine Falcone and Sal Maroni had over them. So, Bruce returned to the persona he had begun to build during his time within the League. But first he would need some help. Bruce installed Lucius Fox as President of Wayne Enterprises and brought him, Alfred and Leslie in on his plans. While Leslie vocally disapproved of his choice, they all agreed to help. Going full-blown theatrics, Bruce and Lucius created an armored suit based on Bruce’s childhood fear of Bats, hoping to inspire that same fear in criminals. With Lucius providing various gadgets, Leslie helping out with his various injuries, and Alfred providing assistance from Wayne Manor, the age of vigilantes began as whispers of the ‘Batman’ began to make criminals fear the night. The Batman: 1999 - 2004 With Lucius providing tech for Bruce, the so-called ‘Batman’ quickly became a name that criminals feared, while some just believed it to be a modern myth. That is, until he rescued reporter Vicki Vale from Tony Zucco, where she managed to get the first picture of Batman. With the help of Jim Gordon, his wife Sarah Essen-Gordon and his partner Harvey Bullock, Batman took down Carmine Falcone and Sal Maroni, exposing corruption within City Hall and GCPD and leaving a giant power vacuum that would be filled with the likes of Frank Bertinelli and Tony Zucco. Jim and Batman became partners and trusted allies, taking on corruption and crime in Gotham side by side with white knight District Attorney Harvey Dent. Batman inspired the vigilante movement, leading to the arrival of the likes of Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Black Canary and his old friend Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow. He even began to inspire the youths of America. In 1999 during an ‘Elect Dent’ campaign event organized by Silver, Bruce watched as the Flying Grayson's performed an acrobatic act, and continued to watch as they plummeted to their deaths due to their act being sabotaged by Tony Zucco, leaving only their orphaned son Dick. Bruce kept tabs on the boy as he hunted down Zucco. Upon learning that Dick had no living relatives, Bruce saw himself in Dick and adopted him thanks to Silver’s political connections. Dick eventually discovered the Batcave during a fit of rage and attempted to persuade Bruce to let him join his crusade. Bruce rejected his offer multiple times, but upon recognizing the need for justice against his parents killer, agreed to train the boy in order to make sure he didn't get himself killed in his pursuit. Due to his acrobatic skills, Dick already had a foundation to build on and by October of 2000, Gotham’s Dynamic Duo was born with the first outing of Batman and Robin, beginning the age of young heroes. The appearance of the teen hero inspired many, but none more than Jim and Sarah Gordon’s daughter Barbara. The accomplished martial artist and hacker debuted in a makeshift costume as ‘Batgirl’ and nearly got herself killed. Disobeying Batman’s orders to quit, they eventually brought her into the fold and gave her an armored suit and more training, establishing the ‘Bat Family’ with their headquarters in the high tech Batcave below Wayne Manor. Already a hero to Gotham, Batman became a hero to the world when he and six other heroes fought against Brainiac’s invasion and formed the Justice League of America, a team of various superheroes that were funded by Batman and Green Arrow. But Batman’s appearance not only inspired several heroes to wear costumes, but several villains as well. The Dynamic Duo: 2004 - 2006 Several costumed villains began to appear in Gotham after Batman’s debut such as Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Black Mask, but none gave them more trouble than the Joker. A malicious and deadly clown, he made his psychotic debut by giving Sal Maroni the acid he used to burn half of Harvey Dent’s face, turning on of Gotham’s greatest heroes into the mentally insane villain Two-Face. In order to combat these criminals, Batman and the JLA established the Titans, a training camp in San Francisco for teen heroes that taught them to fight these villains, and he sent Batgirl and Robin to participate. With the teens out of town most of the summer, Bruce spent more time alone, eventually leading to Silver discovering his operation. Unable to bear the thought of him in danger, she ended their relationship in 2003. After a brief tryst with Wonder Woman and several encounters with the elusive Catwoman, Bruce decided to reconnect with Julie Madison. Bruce even adopted another young orphan, a streetwise boy Jason Todd, who lost his parents to drugs. Things took a turn for the worse when the Joker shot and paralyzed Barbara in an attempt to drive her father mad in August of 2003. Robin returned to Gotham and angered by the fact that Bruce still refused to cross the line and kill the Joker, quit his role as Robin and left Gotham for Titans Tower full time. Bruce got closer to Jason as a result and he eventually learned of his identity as Batman and with persuasion from both Barbara and Alfred, began expanding on his skills to become the second Robin. Things took a turn after Jason’s debut as Robin in 2005 when he met the mysterious Helena Bertinelli, the daughter of mob boss murdered by Black Mask. She quickly noticed Jason’s injuries and got him to give her a tour of the Batcave where they were caught by Alfred. After a very long and awkward dinner at Wayne Manor, Helena was to be trained by Barbara and Bruce as the new Batgirl. Batgirl 2.0 and Robin 2.0 proved to be a challenge to Bruce as they often considered blurring his line. They proved to be capable crime fighters and joined the second generation of Titans during a time of bliss, where the two developed a romance, Bruce and Dick (now the hero Nightwing) reconnected and he became engaged to Julie. But then the clown ruined everything once again. Kidnapping Jason during his mission to prove himself to Batman, Joker tortured Jason on a live broadcast to Gotham and left his lifeless body strapped to the Batsignal. The death of Jason led to the break up of the Titans and after the death of two teens (Tyra and Jason), the JLA itself disbanded. Bruce became a violent, angry and depressed man, which led to his breakup with Julie (who was actually pregnant at the time) and the loss of his partners. Helena vowed to kill the Joker after what he did, and after a fight with Bruce, she abandoned the mantle of Batgirl and hunted down every last associate of the Jokers, leaving Bruce all alone. The Darkest Knight: 2006 - 2008 After the death of Jason, Bruce became depressed, drinking himself to death during the day and beat criminals near-death at night. However, luck seemed to have changed for the better, when Andrea Beaumont returned to Gotham in 2006. It turned out, however, that Andrea had only returned to Bruce to gain access to Gotham’s newest DA, Arthur Reeves, at his inaugural banquet. Andrea, now operating as the masked mercenary The Phantasm, used this opportunity to poison Reeves and when Bruce realized, he rushed to in to save the man. Later, Batman confronted Andrea in her disguise as the Phantasm and the two fought. Batman got stabbed and unmasked. Seeing Bruce there, bleeding out, Andrea rushed Bruce to the Batcave and in the confusion, left. She left her one-time lover a simple locket to remember her by. That locket remains in the Batcave’s trophy room to this day. In early 2007, Roy Harper disappeared. The League sensed weakness and stuck, with Nyssa al Ghul sending Sara Lance to drug and seduce Oliver, before attempting to assassinate her sister in the confusion. Though the two were forced to retreat, the strain that Sara had put on Dinah was clear. So when Oliver began to drink more and Roy was presumed deceased after his arm was found amongst the carnage of a bombing caused by Prometheus, Oliver disappeared for a while before returning to Star City with Prometheus’ fate unknown. Unable to handle it, Dinah divorced Oliver and returned to Gotham where she started working with Bruce more. This helped him a bit, especially when Barbara Gordon became his tech support as Oracle and Alfred’s daughter, Sasha Bordeaux, stepped up to help. Still, Bruce was weak and vulnerable, making him susceptible to the League when they sent Artemis Crock to assassinate him as part of her initiation. Bruce Wayne would have died right there if she hadn’t had a change of heart, sparing his life. Marked for death by the League for her failure, she was taken by Oliver where he kept her safe in Star City Batman and Black Canary started to work together in the field more often, and one particular night they encountered one another in the course of their nocturnal lifestyle. Both were caught in a vulnerable moment and the two gave in to their needs for intimacy. After their singular passionate affair had concluded, the two agreed that it was a one time thing and decided it would be best to remain friends. Still having someone care for Bruce made him feel better, which made him susceptible to Jezebel Jet. Jezebel and Bruce met at a Wayne Foundation charity fashion show where she used her charms to seduce a depressed and vulnerable Bruce. The two were very much hot and heavy. Three months into their relationship, Bruce proposed…in the Batcave! Sasha, however, didn’t trust Jezebel and kept tabs on this model. As it turned out, Jezebel was a spy sent by the League of Assassins to assess Bruce before they put their master plan into effect. When Sasha discovered evidence of Jezebel’s plans, she and Bruce confront her, where he allowed her to leave. Jezebel Jet hasn’t been seen since. Not long after, a young teen named Tim Drake showed up at Wayne Manor asking to speak to Batman. Having deduced his identity years prior after connecting him to Dick (who used the same acrobatic moves as Robin). Tim was also the young boy that had informed the original trio of his criminal dealings that led to the rescue of Helena Bertinelli all those years ago. When Black Mask discovered it was Tim that had messed up his operation, he hired a hitman to kill the Drakes. While Tim's’ parents were killed, his quick wit allowed him to escape. Persuaded by Alfred, Bruce took Tim in and kept him safe. Tim asked his guardian to train him to become the third Robin and avenge his parents, but Bruce denied him. He would never lose another son again. However, Alfred took note of the boys wit and, disobeying his employer, began to train the boy in secret with the help of Dick Grayson. Alfred had hoped that having another Robin in the field with Batman would help Bruce, but it would come too late. Bruce’s recklessness would cost him dearly when the League of Assassins unleashed their Four Horsemen upon Gotham. Gotham's Reckoning: 2008 - 2009 Ra's al Ghul is a patient man. When Bruce Wayne disgraced him and his daughter by rejecting the League after all it had done for him, Ra's al Ghul did not retaliate. He watched from afar as Bruce Wayne took control of his family's financial empire by day and took back Gotham's streets from the criminals with his League training by night as the caped crusader, Batman. For nearly a decade, Ra's planned and plotted, and then he made the mistake of recruiting the Joker in his schemes. Underestimating the Joker's penchant for chaos, Ra's was forced to abandon his first attempt at purifying Gotham City... but in his many centuries of life, Ra's al Ghul has learned to harness the fruits of failure. So, to that end, he usurped the body of Jason Todd, a young man killed by the Joker, who had been trained by Wayne and using the Lazarus Pit, arcane rituals, forbidden science, and torture, Ra's reshaped the young man into an assassin worthy of helping to bring down the Batman. The reprogrammed Jason joined with the Horsemen, a group of experimental warriors overseen by El Pentiente, replacing a project that Ra's al Ghul was not satisfied with. Together, this quartet were meant to oversee Gotham's cleansing and the removal of the Batman. The scout of the group, Larissa Diaz was named Lilith and would stalk the city until she located Batman and use her talents to poison the Batman, little by little, to keep his mind clouded and prevent him from performing at his peak performance, ensuring chaos would reign in the aftermath of the League's engineered earthquake. The muscle of the group, a prisoner from Santa Prisca was named Abaddon and was surgically grafted to an injection system which would fuel his muscles with an enhanced steroid concocted from the chemicals of the Lazarus Pits. With a mind able to match the Dark Knight in tactical analysis and a body surpassing the abilities of the Batman, Abaddon was trusted with defeating and capturing the Batman. It was left to Batman's killed and resurrected surrogate son, now named Dumah, to assist the other Horsemen in logistics and tactics, providing them with the vital intel they would need to overcome Gotham's caped crusader. Once the Batman was captured, Dumah would oversee the torture and torment of the captive Bruce Wayne, making certain that he was at his lowest before he would be released from this world. Given the honor of executing the Batman was Azrael, an experiment from birth overseen by the League and crafted into the ideal assassin. Once the Batman was removed from this mortal plane, Azrael would then become Gotham's new champion, helping the League to usher in a new age for the city, guided to new heights by Ra's al Ghul... On the anniversary of the death of Jason Todd In Gotham, the League of Assassins set off an artificial earthquake in Gotham, timed with explosives on the city’s bridges, and a coordinated unleashing of powerful weaponry to the city’s criminals and a mass escape at both Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum. This day and the time that followed as since been coined ‘The Cataclysm of Gotham’. With Gotham declared a No Man’s Land by the US government, Batman was left to restore order in Gotham. Easier said than done, that was a task made more difficult by the Four Horsemen. While Lilith carried out her assignment, the second Horseman, the assassin now known as Bane, got carried away and after beating the Dark Knight to within an inch of his life, he strayed from the plan and tried to kill the Batman by throwing him over the side of the GCPD Headquarters. Batman was able to grapnel to safety where he was picked up by his new apprentice Tim Drake and his faithful friend Alfred Pennyworth who managed to get him to safety. With the League’s plan in flux, Dumah began to regain his memories. El Penitente’s brainwashing was shown to be faulty when the League attempted to use Vanguard as a horsemen, but it all came crashing down on Jason. He took over the biker gang known as the Order and started taking over the criminal underworld. The League also hadn’t counted on one of it’s most skilled trainees arriving in Gotham to fight off the criminal scum that was seizing it. Oracle, Black Canary, and the Huntress rose up to fight back as Dick trained Tim in the Batcave. They came across this trainee, who was operating as The Nothing, and determined to give this city hope once more, they gave Cassandra Cain a suit as she became the third Batgirl. While Bruce was recovering, his first protégé, Dick Grayson was called in by Tim to become the new Batman and help restore order in Gotham. As Tim officially debuted as the third Robin, they began taking back their city with help from others such as the Birds and Bruce’s cousin, Kate Kane, the vigilante known as Batwoman. As Duman’s black mask began to rust, he came into conflict with the new Batman and Robin. As the three brothers battled it, Dumah’s red mask was knocked off. Seeing Dick caused his memories to rush back to him, and used his brother’s confusion to escape. As for the last Horsemen, his programming went haywire as he was meant to kill Bruce Wayne’s Batman, not Dick Grayson. He took over the Order and became dedicated to the Batman instead, renaming the biker gang “The Sons of Batman”. Bruce became more dedicated to recovering, returning to a better state with a drive to find Jason. With his city finally back under control, Bruce finished his long road to recovery and returned to the cape and cowl. Rebirth: 2009 - 2013 After the Cataclysm had run its course, Amanda Waller saw an opportunity to establish an international agency dedicated to pursuing global threats and investigating the rise of meta-crime. The result was ARGUS, a United Nations’ sanctioned intelligence operation overseen by Maxwell Lord, with Amanda Waller herself as the deputy director. Under the umbrella of ARGUS, the JLA founders and original members were invited back to found a new team, an international team simply known as the Justice League. So, in April of 2009, the Justice League returned with a larger roster than ever and through recruiting initiatives known as Justice League International, Justice League United, and Justice League Action, they were given the power to continuously expand their roster. The new Justice League was also given access to a state-of-the-art orbital satellite and space station known as the Watchtower. Though most of the large facility is manned by ARGUS staff, the Justice League was given control over about a quarter of the space station for their own use and once again were mostly allowed to operate as they saw fit, though they were given an ARGUS handler in Steve Trevor, who brought a team of hand-picked ARGUS agents with him to assist the Justice League’s endeavors. When Batman returned to the streets of Gotham, he noticed the dynamic duo was out of sync. Tim and Dick worked marvellously together, because Tim was cerebral, like Bruce. This caused the two to constantly bigger over who had the better approach. Feeling underappreciated, Tim began to shadow the new Batgirl on patrols. Still, Bruce did appreciate Tim and allowed him and Cassandra to join Cyborg’s Young Justice Program, which would later turn into the newest generation of Titans that would be officially reinstated. Bruce even adopted both Tim and Cassandra. In 2009, during the first Holiday Murders, Catwoman volunteered her services to aid Batman in his investigation. This began the two’s long cycle of trysts and romance. During this period, Tim and Cass befriended a young vigilante known as Spoiler. The two would teach Stephanie the moves they had learned from Batman, as well as the ones Cassandra knew. She eventually became a regular Bat Family member and even joined the Titans as well. Bruce’s romantic life wasn’t going as great. In 2011, Chase Meridian was hired as a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. That same year, she became a consultant for the GCPD and began to profile Batman. Noticing Chase’s interest in his Batman persona, Bruce began to keep an eye on Chase and even once, in a moment of weakness, stopped by Chase’s balcony and after she kissed him, Bruce let himself give in to Chase’s advances. Having regained his senses after Chase had fallen asleep, Bruce got dressed in his suit and fled, forced to leave his cape and cowl behind in a panic as Chase woke up. To this day, Bryce isn’t entirely clear if Chase realized Batman and Bruce Wayne were the same person due to the poor lighting and the fact that two were rather…preoccupied with other matters. Then Bruce began dating Jaina Hudson after meeting at a social function for Gotham’s elite. Bruce and Jaina had no less than forty intimate dates, spread out over the course of 2012. However, due to the Holiday Murders, Batman’s developing nightlife with Catwoman, and his investigation into the mysterious White Rabbit, the two’s relationship seemed like a strictly social convenience. When the Birds of Prey caught White Rabbit, they used Zatanna to discover that Jaina was behind the White Rabbit’s crimes as well and both Jaina and her White Rabbit partner were sent to Arkham Asylum. In 2012, the criminal Bane made headlines again, when he orchestrated another mass release of inmates at the Blackgate Prison and then blew it up, leaving Gotham with a surplus of criminals and nowhere to put them. Stryker’s Island took a portion of the burden for a time, but the real relief came when the Wayne Foundation financed an expansion to Arkham Asylum, transforming it from an aging mental health institution into a state of the art prison complex During Tim’s senior year of high school, he and Bruce began conducting an investigation into the League of Assassins. Upon graduation, Tim left Gotham for Europe, leaving his life as Robin behind for good. The two claimed to have a falling out in order for Tim to participate in an undercover operation. Tim operated as “Redbird” for sixth months in Europe before Cheshire approached him with an offer to join the League. And so began the dismantling of the League of Assassins. Son of Batman: 2013 - 2016 With Tim undercover in the League, began supplying Batman with intel on League operations, allowing Batman to prepare to take down the League. Meanwhile, Batman started funding the Outsiders, a group formed by his son, Dick, to do things the League couldn’t. They eventually found Jason. It took a while, but eventually Jason was brought back into the family, this time as the Red Hood. Though he still needs to be reminded not to go too far, Bruce is glad to have his son back. Needing a Robin, Bruce asked Stephanie to take over the vacant position. She was ecstatic to officially join the ranks of Batman and to see the Batcave. After debuting as Robin, the Girl Wonder, Stephanie had a dysfunctional relationship with Batman. She didn't have any of the other Robin’s special skills or harsh training, but what she has was pure determination. Night after night she survived out there, getting better and better each time, until she became a capable crimefighter in her own right and was even praised by Batman. In 2014, Stephanie and Cass eventually joined The Team, a branch of the Justice League created by Batman and the other founders to go on covert operations. Meanwhile, Bruce was getting tired of the game he and Selina played and decided to end it. Bruce told Selina that if they were ever going to be together, she’d need to reform. Selina turned herself into Arkham the next day. In late 2014, Bruce gave Cassandra permission to leave her position as Batgirl and leave Gotham to track down her mother. In 2015, Batman and Tim’s operation finally gave them the chance to take down the League of Assassins. When the time came, Tim forwarded crucial intel to Oracle that allowed them to capture nearly all of the League’s operational managers. Doing what even Batman couldn't do, Tim returned to Gotham with the captured Ra’s al Ghul, and declining to return his role as Robin, became Red Robin as a compromise. Bruce confronted his ex-wife, Talia, in Arkham alongside Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. It was there that Talia bargained with her beloved for her release, revealing her secret. If Bruce’s releases her and allow her to take over the League and stop a civil war between the assassins, she’ll give Bruce their son. Bruce accepted, and was reunited with his long lost son, Damian. It was difficult for Damian to adjust to life as the son of Bruce Wayne. Damian felt entitled as the “true son” of Batman, feeling that his siblings were pretenders. So much so that after his arrival Wayne Manor, he spent his first month is Gotham besting his siblings in some way, putting Tim in the hospital after an impromptu sword fight. When Bruce scolded him, the boy rebelled further, running away. Dick tracked him down to the Narrows where he was beating on gangbangers. After getting his attention by defeating him in combat, Dick talked some sense into the teen, marking the start of Damian rejecting the League’s programming. Following this, Stephanie decided to give Damian a chance to prove himself by passing the mantle of Robin onto him. Bruce decided to reward her by giving her the mantle of Batgirl, as the recently returned Cass had taken on the name “Black Bat”. Bruce then launched Batman Inc. and had his friend, Vicki Vale, pretend to be his girlfriend to cover for him. Since Batman and Bruce Wayne had to make public appearances together to diffuse suspicion, Dick stepped in as Batman once more with Damian as his Robin. Somehow, the duo of lighthearted Batman and ornery Robin worked. After Batman Inc. successfully launched, Bruce returned to his role as Batman to find his son a well-seasoned sidekick. Eventually, Bruce had Vicki stop covering for him and turned his attention to Selina, who was up for parole from Arkham. The two officially began a relationship, with Selina accidentally becoming pregnant. Then, Bruce Wayne disappeared. And another Bruce took his place. Batman Returns: 2016 - Present The life of Bruce Wayne had been taken by old friend, Thomas Elliot. The surgeon had used skin from other people’s faces to transform himself into Bruce Wayne, where he lived the life he always wanted. Thomas Elliot had captured Selina removed her heart with the help of Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze. When Bruce showed up to save her, Elliot shot him in the back and kicked him off the pier. But then, Mr. Freeze refused to kill Selina and knocked out Scarecrow and saved Catwoman. She reached out to Helena who made the arrangements in order to get Selina to Talia al Ghul, who used the Lazarus Pit to heal her. Then, Selina begged Talia to save Bruce. And she did. She found Bruce in a coma by the pier and rescued him, giving him a drug that would keep him from dying. Once in the coma, Bruce saw a vision of an adult Damian committing an unspeakable act. Talia allowed Thomas to masquerade as Bruce for months, forcing the Bat Family to comply has she held Bruce’s life in her hands. But Thomas got carried away with the lavish lifestyle, becoming too liberal with his money and assassinating his character. With Bruce recovering faster than expected, and with Talia still needing him around, she hired Jane Doe to steal Bruce’s look off ls Tommy’s face and had her serve out the rest of her purpose until Bruce awoke. Confronting Talia, she revealed to Bruce that Selina was expecting. Going undercover as Matches Malone, he went to find Selina, as she was staying with the Sons of Batman at their clubhouse. It was their that Bruce proposed to Selina. Things took a sour tour when Jean-Paul Valley learned that there was a mole in the Sons. Not knowing it was Luke Fox that was feeding Oracle intel, he suspected Carrie Kelley due to her connection to the Commissioner. He attempted to attack her, forcing Bruce to jump in the way and take the hit, breaking his arm and exposing himself as the mole. He managed to escape with Carrie. Bruce stepped out of the role of Batman, this time passing the role onto Tim due to Dick being undercover with ARGUS. While Bruce was recovering, the assassin known as the Heretic began attacking all the heroes one by one, even breaking into the Outsiders Bunker, nearly killing Roy, Donna and Kori. He even went after Barbara, but was forced to flee when Dinah arrived. On the daughter that he and Selina welcomed their daughter, Helena (named after Helena Bertinelli due to her saving Selina’s life), Damian was stabbed by the Heretic. Bruce sprang into action as Batman once more, confronting the Heretic, but he managed to escape. Romantic Relationships * Julie Madison: Ex-Fiancé (2006); Dated (1984-1986 / 1993 / 2005 - 2006); First Time (1992) * Zatanna Zatara: Crush (1988) * Andrea Beaumont: Ex-Girlfriend (1992-1993 / 2006) * Talia al Ghul: Ex-Wife (1995-1997); Dated (1993-1995) * Silver St. Cloud: Ex-Girlfriend (1997-2000) * Lois Lane: Dated (2000) * Vesper Fairchild: Dated (2000) * Diana Prince: Brief Ex-Girlfriend (2003) * Vicki Vale: Ex-Girlfriend (2003-2004); Cover (2013-2016) * Dinah Lance: One Night Stand (2007) * Jezebel Jet: Ex-Fiancé (2007) * Chase Meridian: One Night Stand (2011) * Jaina Hudson: Dated (2012) * Selina Kyle: Wife (2017-); On And Off (2009-2014); Engaged (2016-2017) Trivia and Notes Links and References * Appearances of Bruce Wayne * Character Gallery: Bruce Wayne Category:Justice League members Category:Bat Family Category:League of Assassins Member